10 Best Japanese Voice Actors

Entertainment is a hard business in any country but being one of the best Japanese voice actors comes with money and fame. Voice acting carries more prestige than in some other countries because of the enormity of Japan’s animation business.

Hiro Yuki. A member of the seiyu quartet, Weiss, Hiro Yuki is one of the all stars of anime and certainly one of the best Japanese voice actors around. In addition to his many anime characters, Yuki is the official dubbing voice actor for Stan in "South Park."

Shunichi Miyamoto. Shunshi Miyamoto is not just one of the best Japanese voice actors in the business, he is also a gifted Japanese pop artist. In addition to releasing one album a year, Miyamoto is the voice of Shani Andras in the Anime hit "Mobile Suit Gundam Seed."

Sanji Hase. Most known for his voice work in "Kinnikuman" as the character Aderans Nakano-san, Sanji Hase was undeniably one of the best Japanese voice actors before his death.

Katsumi Cho. Not only one of the best Japanese voice actors around, but also a stage actor part of the Seinenza Theater Company, Katsumi Cho is in demand all around. In addition to his many anime projects, Cho also voices many video games such as Final Fantasy X, Tales of Rebirth and Tales of the Tempest.

Nobutoshi Canna. Canna is undeniably one of the best Japanese voice actors for not just anime, but for some of the most notable and iconic video games in history. Voicing the character of Basara Nekki on the hugely popular series, "Macross 7," Canna also voiced the character of Knuckles the Echidna on the Sonic the Hedgehog series of video games.

Satomi Arai. Voicing some anime roles is on this Japanese voice actors resume, but she is more known for her dubbing work than anything else. Voicing the Japanese versions of television shows like "Kim Possible," "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" and "The West Wing."

Yuji Ueda. Most known for his voice work on "Pokemon" for the role of Takeshi, Ueda has an extensive anime resume that also includes Keitaro Urashima on "Love Hina" and Horohoro on "Shaman King."

Mayumi Suzuki. Well known as a veteran Japanese voice actor, Suzuki is best known for her work dubbing the voices of the heroines in Disney movies. She has voiced the heroines from the "Little Mermaid," "Mulan," "Tarzan," "Beauty and the Beast" and "Sleeping Beauty."

Rica Matsumoto. Matsumoto has come to be one of the best Japanese voice actors after years of acting and performing. After she started as one of the original members of the group JAM Project, she moved to voice acting landing one of the most popular roles in Japanese culture, the main character in "Pokemon," Satoshi. An eclectic talent, Matsumoto also sings the theme song of the "Pokemon" series.

Ikue Otani. Iku Otani is one of the best Japanese voice actors. Voicing Pikachu of the "Pokemon" series, Otani is also one of the most popular and famous voice actors in the business. In addition to her work on "Pokemon," Otani also does voice work on the hugely popular anime series "One Piece."